What NY Rangers fans can expect from Braden Schneider in 2024-25
With Braden Schneider having returned to the NY Rangers on a two-year deal, he’ll have the chance to play his way into a long-term, lucrative contract.
These two-way bridge deals are always interesting, as the player signing them knows they can land a monster contract if they exceed expectations the following season or, at the latest, over the next two years. For Braden Schneider, this is exactly what he’ll want to do with the NY Rangers after they extended him on a two-year deal for a $2.2 million AAV.
Schneider, who I clocked in at No. 5 in my defensemen rankings, is someone I remain bullish on and am therefore glad to see him back in New York for another two years to show he’s worth keeping for the long haul.
He won’t be a big scorer over these next two seasons, but the Rangers are already an elite-scoring team and don’t need him to put up a big number of assists or goals. But they will benefit from giving him a little more ice time - mainly in the 16:30-17:30 range, as he heads into his third full year and fourth year overall with New York.
Braden Schneider will show off more than physicality with the NY Rangers
Braden Schneider has developed a more physical game every time he’s skated onto the ice over the past three seasons, which culminated with 167 body checks in 2023-24. That was an increase of 20 checks from 2022-23, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he hit the 200-plus mark, especially if he snagged another minute or two of ice time per game.
While I’d like to see him on the ice for fewer goals against - 62 against at even strength last year, I was still impressed with his overall improvement. Last year, his offensive zone starting percentage at even strength sat at 47.3 percent, a 3.6 percent decrease from 2022-23, yet his Corsi For percentage skyrocketed.
In 2022-23, despite over half his starts taking place in the offensive zone, Schneider’s Corsi at even strength was a meager 43.9 and a minus-8.6 percent relative. That changed last season when it bumped up to 48.9 percent with a minus-2.0 relative, and while I don’t see the same jump this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if it climbed over the 50 percent mark.
This means Schneider shouldn’t just be a more physical player this season; you should also see his efforts contribute to more chances in the offensive zone. If he does this on the third-pairing, it also tells us the Rangers will be ultra-deep in this still-youthful defensive rotation.
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